Black Heart Edited
by Mr.SturgisPodmore
Summary: See inside Summary for more details. This is an edited version of my previously published story "Black Heart" which was never completed due to plot problems. However, they have been rectified, and I'm giving it another go. R&R please!
1. Disclaimer

_Disclaimer_

The main character (most, anyways) are direct property to Sony, and I do not own them. Wish I did, but I don't. It's a real shame. Anyway, most main characters, as I said, belong to Sony, some belong to me as I invented them. However, most places, locations, settings, etc, also belong to Sony. There. Consider this story disclaimed by me.


	2. Summary

_Summary_

Alright. The first thing is first. Well,first things, really.

1) This is an edited version of my previously published story, "Black Heart" which is unfinished. However, the first few Chapters will follow the same principles as the previous ones.

2) This is a _learning _process. Meaning, if I have some punctuation errors, grammatical errors, etc, however small, please..._point them out._

Now, I spent about thirty seconds thinking up this summary, so try to just accept it and forget that is is corny, cheesy, and incredibly ineffective at any sort of interest.

Summary: _Rose and Zeig are reincarnated after their death by a mysterious being of immense power, only to find out that it's been one hundred years since last they lived! And with the new oppresion of a Queen who has taken control of all of Endiness and enslaved the Dragoons, Rose and Zeigs' future seems bleak, and their task nearly impossible. New perils will arise, new Dragoons will be found, but how can they defeat the Creator herself?_


	3. Prologue: Death's Grip

She felt the weightlessness engulf her. This seemed an odd place to be. She was hovering, she could feel herself floating in the air, stationary, and she was surounded by thick, black fog that impaired her vision, disabling her from seeing more than an inch in front of her face. Her arms and legs were numb, and she seemed unable to move them, as though she was being held in place by some unknown, impossibly powerful force.

And then, beside her, she heard a sharp, ragged, intake of breath. She knew that breath very well, though she had only heard it for the first time in a very long time just recently. It was natural to assume that he, too, was being confined in the same way. Why hold one and not the other?

As she struggled against the invisible force that held her floating in the air and in place, she felt a small shift in the darkness around her. A movement of sorts. She tried to call out, but her voice wouldn't respond. It was as though someone had taken away her ability to speak. Even worse, it seemed that the words would not even form in her own mind, as though there was some groggy, alien presence blocking her thoughts and scrambling them.

To her, it was although her entire body was betraying her.

As she continued to struggle, she felt another shift. Someone, or something, was moving nearby. Again, she attempted to call out, but her voice failed her again. It certainly wasn't the man beside her, because if she couldn't move, it was almost certain that he couldn't as well. Suddenly, she felt a horrible sensation creep through her body. A cold, deathly presence that inhabited her mind, body, and soul. The presence was inside her, and she struggled more vigourously in vain.

And then there came the laughter. The quiet, cruel, cold, diabolicle laughter. And though she could certainly hear it, she couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. As though it was coming from the very air around her.

_You have come to me, finally, O Harbinger of Death, O Dark Creature..._came a deep voice in her head that was filled with immense power in ever syllable. Relying on the fact that the thought had come from inside her own head, and that her voice was incapable of forming coherant words, she tried to form words back to the presence within the confines of her own mind.

However the thick, unwanted alien fog still clouded her mind, and she couldn't form the words properly. Again, came that horrible laughter, and the fog slowly left, and she was finally able to form words within her own mind.

_Who are you_? she thought in desperation.

_I have had many names over the millenia...as have you_._While my name is not important, what is important is what I have to tell you now... Events have been set in motion, events that have been preordained when the stars were young. Before your pathetic race liberated themselves, even before then, before the Winglies, before time began..._

_What are you talking about_? came another voice, which she identified as the man still struggling beside her_. What is this place?_

_In reality, both of you were to be sent to another place...for your noble sacrifice for your entire race, sacrificing yourselves for the good of your species, surely that would land you a place among the stars...among the clouds with the good and the just...however, I have brought you here..._

_Where is here_? she thought back in snarl.

_This?_ replied the voice blankly_. This is...hell. Limbo...the world between the worlds...where the condemned and the cruel come to live in suffering and agony for all time, forced to live the most agonizing moments of their lives, over and over again...for eternity._

_But...but Mayfil..._

_Is a pathetic attempt to mimic what I do here. No...this is not Mayfil. Mayfil is purely for the unworthy...of your common criminal...the common evil doer...No. Those who are sent here deserve a fate far worse than Mayfil...however, your stay is not permanent..._

Again, she felt the fog engulf her mind and she was unable to speak again.

_Now, listen...listen, and remember..._

In a quick, sharp spasm of pain, she remembered it all. The journey she had been on, the end of her long journey, and the beginning of a new one...and then, then she remembered him...and suddenly she felt a small happiness course through her...he had awakened her old self...the one that had been locked away...eclipsed by the monster she had become! And she remembered the path he had set her on...the new journey, a noble one! And she remembered the monster slowly dwindling away...replaced by a just and noble new creature...something she could be proud of...

And then she remembered flying through the air with the man beside her, charging forwards against fate, against destiny...against the god herself! Against Soa and her creation, and against what she had planned...

With another painful spasm, she snapped back to the present to hear the cold, cruel laughter again.

_You remember...that is good. You remember your noble sacrifice...the monster you became...the path you chose, and the course of action that set you on the path to redemption..._

_What do you...want with us_?gasped the man beside her.

_Events have been sent in motion...events that could bring us all to the brink of the abyss...I have brought you here because of the task I must set you...The task I must set all creatures...the task that must be done to ensure a future...You will return to the world of man...and you will forge a new destiny...You both defied the will of Soa...but the fate comes again...it is willed by the creator._

She felt herself slowly moving through the air as the voice rang inside her head.

_A new life for yourselves and all others! Now...I give you both life...so that you may bring the fate of the world, and the goddess herself, to it's knees!_

She felt a tugging sensation pull her, and the invisible restraints loosen. She was floating at high speeds now, zooming through the air. The wind on her face as her hair rippled behind her. The presence was gone now, she could think and move freely, though that may not be the best idea while hurtling through the air.

And as she opened her eyes and saw the flowing, dark sands rush towards her, she heard a faint whisper inside her head.

_Arise, Rose, and live again..._


	4. Chapter 1: Arrival?

Rose alighted on the ground softly, making only the slightest of noises. She was sprawled face down in the sand, and her entire body was numb. She couldn't move. As she lay there in the sand, the numbness spread through her entire body. Sand was in her mouth, making her tongue course and rough, and she felt it clinging to her face. She tried to get up, but her body wouldn't respond. She tried again, but her body insisted on betraying her yet again.

In a sudden flash of remembrance, she recalled her encounter with that all powerful being. She remembered his words to her. _Events have been set in motion...events that could bring us all to the brink of the abyss. But the fate comes again...it is willed by the Creator._She remembered the cold, deadly presence that had coursed through her body and held in her in place, but more than anything, more than the being of immeasureable power, she remembered him. Zeig. She remembered him beside her. The...the Lord of Hell had said that they had died...

Yes, thought Rose. Yes, we did die. Charging Melbu Frahma on The Moon That Never Sets...yes, I remember now.

She remembered it all.

Pushing her thoughts away from her previous life and that of The Moon That Never Sets, Rose attempted to get up again only to fail. It infuriated her beyond belief. She had never struggled with anything in her life. Never. And now she could not get up? She had survived death! She had cheated death, beaten it, survived for thousands of years, only to be unable to stand herself up? No!

She couldn't let this beat her. Again she tried to move her legs, to push herself up, but they would not respond.

Dammit, she thought angrily, still trying to move even an inch. The numbness was getting stronger, she felt sure that soon, if she didn't beat this, she may be stuck here for a long time. And who knew where she was? There could be some great beast just around the corner, eyeing her even now. Easy prey.

_Easy prey. _That, certainly, was something Rose had never heard in conjunction with her name. Not by anyone else, and certainly not by herself. Yet that was exactly what she was at the moment. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she was weak and vulnerable right now.

_Weak_...whispered a voice inside her head. _You are weak, Rose. _

She knew that voice...of course she did. She recognized the hate, the bloodlust and the mad desire for power, she recognized it all in that voice.

It was Kanzas. Unbelievable. He had been dead for over ten thousand years! And now she was hearing his voice in her head?

_Weak, Rose. You are weak. Get up, why don't you? Get up, you snivelling woman! You call yourself a warrior?_

Against her will, an image of Kanzas appeared in her head. He was grinning and smiling in a very unattractive way.

_Get up, Rose. Or do you want to lay there forever? _taunted Kanzas' voice inside her head, his image smiling and cackling at her futile attempts to move. With a last, loud, insulting cackle, Kanzas' image disappeared, along with his voice, only to be replaced by a new voice. This one was more gentle, more friendly.

_Rose...it has been a while._ This time it was Bel'zac whispering inside her head. A smiling image of him appeared in her mind. He was looking at her with gratitude and kindness on his face._Rose, thank you for showing me the path to the afterlife...the path to life after death. _

_Thanks, Rose! _came a new voice. This one was higher, more childlike. It was Damia. She appeared on Belzac's shoulders, beaming down at Rose with her head cocked to the side slightly. Kanzas, too, reappeared, leaning on Belzac's side, apparently at peace with the other two Dragoons.

_Rose..._whispered another voice. Syuveil materialized in her mind, floating a few feet above the ground beside Belzac, a curious look on his face. _Rose, you saved me from Mayfil. Thank you._

And then there was a brilliant flash of the brightest light. It cast a shadow only as the figure of a small, thin woman appeared within the light. Slowly, it dimmed, and Rose recognized Shirley, standing in front of her four fellow comrades. She was smiling down at Rose, her fiery red hair billowing in some non-existant wind. She smiled warmly down at Rose, as she said, _Rose...we owe you all our lives. We depart to the afterlife, with your guidance. But before we go, we'd like to give you one last gift._

Suddenly, there were eight different coloured flashes of light, and Rose tried to understand what it was she saw there. Standing next to her previous comrades, were Dart, Shana, Haschel, Miranda, Albert, Lavitz, Kongol, and Meru. They all smiled at her, even Miranda who had always disliked her.

All of them, including Rose's ten thousand year old comrades, raised they hands above their heads. Between each of their hands, rose a shining ball of power, each a different colour according to their Dragoon Spirit. Shirley's shone brightest of all as she illuminated the space within Rose's mind. There was a bright flash of multi-coloured light, and Rose snapped back to her own surroundings.

She was laying face down in the sand, still unable to move. Her epiphany seemed to have done nothing for her, and she silently cursed herself. She was weak, as Kanzas had said. Too weak to stand up, too weak to move on, too weak to die...too weak to live. She was doomed, forever, it seemed, to a life of nothingness. A life of darkness, and solitude. The two things she had been living for her entire life.

Suddenly, Rose sensed a familiar presence nearby. Not within her, no, she still felt completely numb, but she felt something familiar close to her. Something that she had been one with before...something she had carried for thousands of years...

Though she couldn't move, in her peripheral vision she saw the dark purple lights cascading off the brown cliffs around her. The light floated down so that it was in front of her face, and slowly, very slowly, it dimmed, revealing the floating, solid, very real object that was her Dragoon Spirit. The Darkness Dragoon.

It began shining again, and Rose felt the numbness leave her as the familiar sensation of transformation took her over. She felt the warm, familiar power of the Dragon course through her, as she jumped ten feet into the air and alighted on the ground with a very soft _thump._

She looked herself over, all feelings of numbness gone. She was garbed in Dragon scales, which were dark blue, the same colour as her Dragoon Spirit. Wings sprouted from her shoulders, that enabled her to fly. Her rapier lay on the ground a few feet from her where she had been lying, unable to move.

She felt good. It was an enjoyable feeling to transform into a Dragoon, and after being dead it felt even better. But then her soldier's side kicked in and she surveyed her surroundings. She appeared to be in a dusty, desert-like terrain. She was in a clearing surrounded by small, dark cliffs about ten or twelve feet tall. Probably the Barrens in Tiberoa. She looked around a little more, scanning for places potential enemies could hide. She checked behind a large boulder and poked her head inside a small cave, but there was nothing.

She looked around for Zeig, but there was no sign of him. She walked over to the imprints of her body she had left as she lay on the ground, looking for footsteps or any sign of Zeig or anybody else's presence, but again there was nothing. She was very alone.

Where could Zeig have possibly appeared? Had the creature tricked her? Released her and not him? That seemed unlikely. He had seemed determined to send them both...Regardless, Rose had been sent back for some reason, and until she knew exactly what that was, she had to find somewhere she could get information. Her feet began taking her in the direction of Donau, the Flower City. Donau, she reasoned, was much closer to most of the major countries, and she could easily (or more easily then any other place) reach each country reasonably quickly. And, who knows, they'd first met Meru in Donau, maybe she'd be there now. Maybe they'd all be there, laughing and drinking.

Rose had no idea just exactly how much wishful thinking that was right then.

She sheathed her rapier and began the treacherous walk on foot. It would take several days to reach Donau, though that didn't deter her. She was determined in her task, and so help anyone or anything who stood in her way.

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Zeig groaned loudly. His muscles were stiff, and didn't seem to be able to move on their own. His head was throbbing, probably from the not-so-soft impact of his fall, and his face was buried in the sand. As he tried to move, he found that he was quite unable to. Possibly from the fall, possibly from being dead and returning to life. He wouldn't know until he got up from the sand.

But before he could attempt that, he needed to know exactly where he was. Of course that could be difficult when you're face down in the sand and unable to move, but Zeig didn't intend on going anywhere. He strained his ears, listening for any indication of where he could be. He heard the sounds of water, of waves - the ocean! He was on the shore of some ocean. The waves were tickling his feet and soaking through his boots as he lay there unmoving. He only hoped that the tide wasn't due anytime soon. He heard the sounds of idle chatter from a distance. Good, he was near a populated area. Someone would find him, then.

As he strained his ears even harder, he heard the sounds of strange creatures that he had never heard before. As he tried to identify them, only one word popped into his head.

_Jungle._It was really one of the only places in Endiness he had never visited. He had flown by a few, and had passed through Rouge, which was a small fishing village in a jungle, as he headed to Aglis to destroy the Signet Sphere, but he had never actually stopped to listen to the sounds the animals made. He had never alighted softly on the ground, and looked at a jungle. He had heard many things about the beauty of them - and the dangers - but it had never interested him enough to go and visit one.

Now, it seemed, he was stranded on one, unable to move, with the tide possibly coming in to sweep him away into the ocean. Wonderful. He attempted to stand up, but his muscles wouldn't respond. It was as though his entire body was in a state of paralysis. Again, he tried to stand up, but his body still would not respond. He tried to do it gradually after that. First he tried to move his fingers, with no luck. And then his hand, and his arm, and his torso and legs, his feet, and even his toes, but none of them would respond.

Damn, he thought angrily. It wouldn't be long before someone noticed him and came to get him. Couldn't be long now. He had been here for quite some time, perhaps longer. He could have been unconscious before and not been aware. There were voices now, yells. They could be easily heard now over the rush of the ocean. The voices were getting closer, and Zieg heard several pairs of footprints on the sand. He still couldn't move, and he hoped that whoever was coming didn't try to move him, either. He was sure that it would cause unendurable pain.

As the footsteps grew closer, Zeig's vision slowly blurred out, and, though his eyes were open, he was seeing only blackness. Only darkness. And then, there was a small spark of fire, and suddenly the entire room was engulfed. His imagination was running wild. He was imagining a small, stone room. Dank and dark - like a dungeon. In the center was a tall, blonde haired young man with his back to Zeig as the flames circled around him.

Torches on the walls were lit, and the man remained stationary.

_Father..._he said. Father? Who was the boy talking to? He seemed quite alone._Father, you have returned. _And then the man turned around, and Zeig recognized the face there. It was his son, Dart. He was garbed in Red Dragoon armour with wings sprouting from his shoulders. The last time Zeig had seen Dart as a Dragoon, he had looked much different. Silver, with eight wings...he had been gigantic...and now here he was in his original Dragoon armour.

_Where were you, father? All those years, I finally had you back. And then you left again. And now that you're back, it is I that has left you._Zeig couldn't remember his son ever talking like that. It sounded too much like Syuveil. _Time has made me wise, father. And much time has passed. You have done much for mankind in your lifetime, however unnaturally long it was, and the entire human race owes you their lives...many times over. After your death, I lived on, and I grew old. And now you've returned, and I've gone on. But now, father, all the things you have done for humanity, all the perils you have defeated, they come again. The will of the Creator cannot be stopped so easily._

What was he talking about?

_Many things have changed since last you were here, father. I have watched events unfold. Soa is on the move. Arise, father! Mankind requires your services once again!_

Then Dart was engulfed in bright red light, and he was a human again. Human, surrounded by flames. He smiled as the flames drew closer to him, and then he was engulfed in them. Burning him. He was dying, and Zeig was here on the beach, unable to move! His son! The last thing Zeig saw before he snapped back to the present was the shining light of the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit flying away from Dart, abandoning him to the flames.

Zeig crashed back to the present with a ringing in his ears. It had only been a hallucination. Why, then, was his heart bouncing out of his chest? The footsteps were close now. Zeig could see them in his peripheral vision. He heard the concerned voices.

"Who is he?" one whispered.

"Should we help him?" said another.

Zeig tried to say yes, they should help him, but his voice wouldn't respond.

"I don't know...Telzar wouldn't like it. He's an outsider."

"He's an injured outsider, Memis! He's face down in the sand and the tide is due soon, we can't simply leave him."

"What if we-" but the voice stopped short. Zeig saw in his peripheral vision, two sets of boots back up. He felt a familiar presence nearby him. Could it be-?

The red light of his Dragoon Spirit was shining bright around him, and he felt it descend and draw closer to him. He smiled as he felt the power of the Dragon course through him. He felt his body changing, morphing into the Dragoon he knew he would soon become. He felt the familiar sensation as wings sprouted from his shoulders. The numbness he had felt and the inability to move quickly left him, and he jumped ten feet into the air, doing a flip, and landing softly on the beach.

He looked over at the two men who had tried to help him. They were looking at him incredulously, and then, suddenly, both of them fell to their knees, bowing to him. A frown slashed Zeig's brow. Why were these men bowing to him? He heard more footsteps approaching behind him, and he looked. Walking briskly towards him was a large man with a greying beard and behind him was an aged woman of thirty or so, and a small, young boy of about sixteen or seventeen.

The man approached him warily, looking him over, trying to take in the appearance of the Dragoon. The woman and young boy both fell to their knees as soon as they approached Zeig, and the large man bowed low, but didn't kneel.

"My lord," said the man straightening up and smiling at him. "What brings you here?"

Lord? Zeig was no Lord. He was nothing more than an eleven thousand year old farm boy. That was what he had been when Diaz had approached him during the Dragon Campaign, seen his potential, and had taken him to the Red-Eyed Dragon to form his Dragoon Spirit.

"I was injured," said Zeig, the lie coming from his lips smoothly. "And was washed upon your shores."

The man nodded wisely. "Then the Queen has no business here?"

Queen? thought Zeig blankly. What Queen? Queen Theresa, perhaps? The woman his pawn had kidnapped in order to obtain the Moon Mirror? "No, none," replied Zeig, trying to appease the man. He sighed in relief and beckoned the woman beside him up. She stood up and looked at Zeig in fear and awe.

"Esmerelda," he said, "tend to the man's wounds. We don't want him injured on our grounds. He'll meet you at our home." The woman nodded and turned around, headed towards the large, rickety looking village that Zeig recognized as Rouge. "I'm Telzar, mayor here," he said, striding forwards with his hand outstretched.  
"Zeig," he said, taking the offered hand. Telzar gestured for Zeig to accompany him to the village and Zeig followed along. The young man trailed behind them, throwing Zeig looks of wonderment and adoration.

"We have never been graced with your presence before, my lord," Telzar was saying, "nor heard tell of your servitude to our fair Queen. How came you into her service?"

Zeig was seriously stumped. He had no idea what Telzar was talking about, but he had to pretend like he did. "I was approached by the Queen to serve her as a mere squire," Zeig invented wildly. "But when she realized I could be...more," said Zeig, not wanting to reveal the nature of his Dragoon Spirit. It wasn't common knowledge, and it was best to keep it that way, "she asked me to take on the role of Lord."

"I see," said Telzar as they approached the entrance to Rouge. "Well, my wife, Esmerelda, will be glad to clean your wounds and tend to any wish you may have. And of course you are welcome to stay here in Rouge for as long as you like."

"Thank you," said Zeig, walking through the door.

Telzar waited until he was sure Zeig was out of hearing range before he bent down and whispered to the boy, "Alert the Queen."


	5. Chapter 2: Welcoming

Esmerelda was waiting for him inside the door. She was garbed in a fashionable sort of dress, purple, with a bit of lace trailing at the ends. While it certainly was beautiful, Zeig couldn't help but notice the condition of it. It was dirty, and had several stains visible on it. It was torn in small places, and ripped in others. It seemed very old.

She curtsied as Zeig approached, her lips curving into a small smile. "My lord," she murmured.

"Please, there's no need for that," insisted Zeig, gripping her shoulders and pulling her up. She looked at him in awe and then quickly lowered her face and began walking up a pair of short, rickety stairs made of bamboo. She beckoned him up and Zeig followed. She led him through several brightly lit hallways. There were small holes in the walls that revealed the junlge outside, or the sea to which they were near. Zeig vividly remembered flying through here towards Aglis aginst his will and destroying the Signet Sphere, barely a mile off the coast of Rouge. The floor creaked under Zeig's muddied boots and he felt guilty for leaving a mud trail behind him. Surely that would mean work for someone. Esmerelda led him through a doorway and sat him down at a round table which she promptly placed food on. Zeig looked around the room. It was luxurious, for Rouge, at any rate. Potted plants lay all around the large room and there were several wooden pieces of furniture and a large, elegant fireplace.

Esmerelda approached him warily, as though she wasn't sure whether Zeig would lash out and attack her if she did, like an injured dog, and began inspecting his wounds. She removed his armour slowly, and looked him over with a frown. Zeig looked down at his bare chest. He was covered in bruises and little cuts and scraps, but there was one large, deep gash on his left side that seemed to have been made by some jagged object. It was open, and bleeding profusely. Zeig wondered how he didn't notice it before or feel the warm blood trickling down his side.

Esmerelda bent down with a wet cloth and began dabbing at it. "It looks as though you fell on a jagged stone of sorts," she said irritably. Zeig looked down at the deep gash wtih a grim smile. That had been no stone. That had been the blade of his son, Dart, stabbing at him in The Moon That Never Sets. Now, that was a curious thing. It seems as though the injuries he had received on the Moon ha surfaced again with his reincarnation into the world. A noise to his left made Zeig look over sharply towards the doorway. The young boy who had accompanied Telzar and Esmerelda to the shore to meet him walked through the doorway and leaned on the doorframe with his arms crossed, observing Esmerelda cleaning his wounds.

"My son, Zephir," said Esmerelda, not looking up from Zeig's wound. Zeig nodded towards the boy and he nodded back. He couldn't be more than sixteen.

"Eat," she insisted as she continued dabbing the wound with the cloth. "You'll feel better." She nodded to the food she had placed on the table and Zeig reached for a bananna. "Do you know how you recieved these wounds?"

Zeig knew he had to lie. "No, it's all a blur."

"Hmm."

She continued dabbing until the flow of blood slowed down enough for her to move on to the less serious wounds. She moved methodically and with the air of familiarity, as though she'd done this several times before. She quickly cleaned up the small cuts and scraps and washed the dried blood off of his chest. Her hands trailed along his perfectly toned muscles as she moved back to the larger gash in his side.

"This will need to be sewn up," she said looking at it thoughtfully. "Zephir."

The boy nodded and swept from the room with an emotionless expression. A frown slashed Zeig's brow as he watched the boy leave, but he banished the thought from his mind as he turned back to Esmerelda who was washing the cloth in a bucket of water on the table. Zeig saw the water turn red. Esmerelda turned to Zeig.

"I'm going to sew up this wound or you'll bleed to death." Zeig nodded, familiar with both the process and the pain that came with sewing up a wound. He had had it done several times before, though most times Shirley had just fixed him up. But the earlier times, before she had been found and before she was powerful enough he had had to have his wounds stitched to prevent from dying.

The boy named Zephir returned with a needle and the proper thread and handed them wordlessly to his mother. After that he returned to his place by the doorframe and leant his shoulder against it, observing. Esmerelda looped the thread through the needle and lowered it to his wound. "Now," she warned, "this may sting."

"I've had it done before," assured Zeig. She looked at him skeptically and looped the needle through his skin. Zeig avoided wincing. She continued the process, again, working so methodically that Zeig felt sure she had done this before, until his wound was sewn up completely. She looked it over, checking for any places she may have missed or somewhere the stitching could rip easily, and after satisfying herself that she had done her job well, she stood up and handed him a new shirt, as his other was stained in blood.

"You can stay here," she told him as she handed him the white shirt. "We've a spare bedroom." At this she winced slightly, as though the words had hurt her throat on the way out. Zephir, too, gave an involuntary jerk and left the room. Zeig was curious but felt it best not to ask. Esmerelda led him through the kitchen and out onto the balcony. He followed her into a large bedroom that Zeig would have thought to be a girl's. It was full of plants. The very ground was covered in vines and flower petals. Indeed, it looked as though the floor was part of the jungle, though Zeig knew that it wasn't.

"Who's room is this?" asked Zeig. "I don't want to leave anyone out in the cold."

Esmerelda looked around the room sadly. "This room belonged to my daughter, Gabrielle."

Zeig didn't miss the past tense.

"But she has been dead for sometime now, and the room is yours." She looked at him, probably unable to look at the room itself any longer. "I realize that it has some feminine qualities..." Zeig gave the flowers and paintings of Rouge a look, "but it should be comfortable."

"Yes, thank you," said Zeig with a smile. "It certainly looks it."

Esmerelda smiled back, though Zeig could tell it was forced. She walked to the doorway and turned back to him.

"If you need anything, just ask. My husband wants you to be completely comfortable here in Rouge."

She left swiftly and Zeig collapsed into the bed, looking around the room. The walls themselves were covered in plants and vines, and the windows weere covered up with paintings of different things. The one beside the bed showed a bird's eye view of Rouge and the surrounding sea. Zeig let his thoughts wander to the past. He suddenly felt very tired and his eyelids drooped.


End file.
